Orbit of the Planets
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: Hey everyone! This is a follow-on tying up some loose threads from the wonderful fics The Movement of the Earth and The Fire of the Sun by audreyii. Read those first to understand this one. Bella and Jacob endgame. Please read, Review and enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Strength of the Wolf is the P

**Chapter 1: Strength of the Wolf is the Pack**

It is the sound of the baby that wakes me.

I really don't mind being roommate to a toddler; Sam Uley and Emily Young's child is an adorable little thing. It is the fact that she serves as my rather unfortunate alarm clock that makes me suppress a groan and pull the pillow over my face. The hues of the night outside my window are an inky navy, probably indicating that it is 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning, Pacific Standard Time. Rolling over in bed, I check my digital watch, the night-vision green light making me squint my eyes. Yup. 5:16 AM. I have an 8:30 Monday-Wednesday-Friday class at Peninsula, the local community college up in Port Angeles, so I would be up in an hour or two anyway.

Knocking my pillow aside, so that it plops in the space between my bed and the wall, I roll off the mattress and grope for my bathrobe in the dark. Shrugging it on, I pad out into the hall, feeling my way to the bathroom. A light turning on in Emily's room adjacent to the toilet aids me in my search efforts, before the new mother herself bustles out, eyes darting to the nursery at the end of the hallway.

"Bella!" she hisses, the left half of her mouth pursed in a thin line of apology. I hardly notice the scars on the other side of her face anymore - residual marks from an accident with her almost-husband and the father of her child. "Go back to bed."

"Fine, I'm fine," I just wave her off through a yawn. "I have an early seminar anyway." Sashaying around the other woman, I duck into the bathroom. Stripping out of my pajamas, I hear a lock click and a knob turn, followed by the coos of baby talk just before these are drowned out by my turning on the shower spray. The warm water quickly banishes the filmy veil of sleep from my eyes as I proceed to rub soapy suds through my auburn hair. Even so, I would have appreciated being awoken at sunrise, at the very earliest - an additional roughly ninety minutes of sleep that I'll never get back. Plus, it's January, the heart of Daylight Savings Time, which is always the worst. And it wouldn't do to simply skip my lecture on Family Childcare Management and go back to sleep, not when it's still this early in the semester. Though, to be fair, my involvement in the child rearing of little Sarah should probably count towards some of my course credit.

Huh. Maybe I would have been better off just moving in with Jacob, clear on the other side of the Rez. But cycling in the disapproving grumblings of his disabled father for the wails of an infant doesn't seem like a fair trade. Or at least one that demonstrates any marked improvement of my current living situation.

The eight months since my father's death have been hard. The stabbing pain from his loss in the forest fire started by the Volturi has dimmed into a dull ache. I think of him now, as I fry some bacon over the skillet in Emily's kitchen. All those frittatas, the insistence on healthy foods and throwing out the pork rinds... all of it for nothing. Charlie succumbed to smoke inhalation saving his best friend's life. Jacob still checks in on Billy, his father, now and again; from what he's told me, the recovery process has been slow, but the end is nigh. Billy Black is just about back to normal.

The thought makes me look down at my hands, which I burned setting the vampire Victoria on fire. The pink skin, once dark and mottled, has congealed back into normal, healthy-looking skin. The need to be careful and cautious in use of my hands - at one time, I was enslaved to elastic shorts, had to wriggle up into my shirt while it hung on a hook - slowly faded away, almost without my noticing it. The regained ease in using any digit other than the tips of my thumb and forefinger crept up on me almost by surprise.

Moving the bacon off the frying pan, I turn around at the sound of cooing. A bleary Emily comes in, holding a wriggling little Sarah in her arms. The infant is named for her aunt, Jacob's mother.

"Taking the truck?" Emily makes small talk as she sets Sarah down in her high chair.

"Yeah, Jake's driving me," I say, setting my plate down at the table. I reach for a slice of bacon - and then yelp at the sting of pain when Emily whacks me with a wooden spoon. "Ow! Jeez, save that for Embry, will ya?"

"Embry at least knows to eat with utensils. Just because we are bound to wolves doesn't mean we should eat like ones."

I scowl, but begrudgingly accept the fork and knife she offers me. "You could at least be more careful. My hands..."

"Your hands are all but healed, so quit your sulking." Emily turns back to the refrigerator as though nothing happened and retrieves some milk for Sarah's bottle. "By the way, Claire is coming down to the Rez today. She'll be playing with us and Sarah."

Claire is Emily's niece. Her brother and sister-in-law, Matthew and Abbie, are nice enough, if also a little odd. Since the battle with the Volturi, the adults have made a concerted effort to allow Claire and Sarah to play as cousins.

But we all know that the playdates are more for Claire's benefit. She is still mourning for Quil, and I wonder if, as a teenager, years from now, she'll remember him. The science surrounding memory says No.

But the imprint has never cared about science. An imprint is emotional. Visceral. A connection beyond comprehension, its profundity still difficult to grapple for most Quileutes.

I should know. I am an imprint. So was Emily. So was Claire - the youngest yet known at only three years old. Sam and Quil, respectively, gave their lives in the final fight against the Volturi. Left alone and pregnant, Emily has barely been able to recover. I don't know if Claire - not yet school-age - ever will.

According to Quileute legend, their people are descended from actual wolves. Certain bloodlines, certain Quileuete children supposedly inherit the gene that allows them to shape into gigantic dogs at will. For centuries, the gene has been activated by the presence of vampires - werewolves' mortal enemies - in the area. Some wolves, once they have phased, imprint on a human that the cosmos have deemed to be their soulmate. And whoever a wolf imprints on cannot be harmed by anyone in the Pack, or the greater Tribe. It is the Quileute's most absolute law.

That is what happened to Sam and Emily, their coupling setting off a family feud that only just recently reconciled in light of the fires. Cousins can be cruel, and the estrangement between Emily Young and Leah Clearwater was no exception. But it wasn't as though Leah - Sam's ex-girlfriend, dumped with no explanation - didn't have a reason. Imprinting is what happened to Quil and Claire, a coupling that provoked outrage in the Pack and lewd thoughts over a teenage boy lusting after a little girl. Till the day he died, Quil took even the slightest insinuation of this deeply and personally.

And imprinting is what happened to Jacob Black and me.

We were best friends before the imprint occurred. For a while, the involuntary need to be near each other (personified by cold flashes across our bodies) and an almost telepathic fixation on each other during every waking moment put a strain on us both. Although Jacob had always harbored feelings for me, and almost all imprint relationships become romantic in nature (unless an imprintee expressly conveys different wishes), he initially fought the imprint with everything he had. To his mind, he had wanted a romance to develop between us more naturally, but the imprint forced the issue. I tried to be supportive, but eventually we were spending all our free time together and fell in love anyway. We accepted the imprint - which everyone said could not be fought - and have since done our best to work with it. Since Jacob stopped phasing, the effects of the imprint have lessened... but they will never completely go away. The pull is still there. And Jake and I are still happily involved.

I chew on a nagging thought along with my scrambled eggs. Swallowing hard, I ask, "Do you think Claire and Quil would have eventually fallen in love once she was older?"

Emily pauses in feeding a spoonful of formula to Sarah. "We may never know. A wolf can be whatever their imprint asks them to be - a friend. A sibling. A protector. A lover. But I have never heard of a case where a wolf and his imprint were anything other than lovers."

I nod. "So the legends say." Shoveling one last bite into my mouth, I stand and ready my backpack. "I'm picking up Jake at his place before we head for Port Angeles."

Emily smiles. "Have a good time." Then, in baby talk: "Sarah, can you say Bye-Bye to Auntie Bella? Say Bye-Bye!"

In answer, Sarah spits up on her bib. Hearing a month-old baby talk was probably too much to hope for, but I send Emily a sympathetic smile anyway as I dash out the door.

* * *

I take my time on the gravel back-roads, as I cross the reservation lands to the Black cottage. The Quileute lands are officially known as La Push, encompassing the La Push beaches lining the Puget Sound and about twenty miles to the east. I have been living here ever since my high school graduation last May, right before the Volturi attacked. As a wolf's imprintee, I have every right and privilege afforded to any member of the Quileute tribe, because by all rights, I am one of the Pack. The mate of the wolf who should be Alpha.

Pulling up in front of Billy and Jake's place, I have to refrain my antsy fingers from honking the horn - Billy's probably still sleeping. The screen door slams a minute or two later and out comes my boyfriend - shirtless, as usual when he is home. Climbing in shotgun, he greets me with a good morning kiss, burying his face in my hair.

"I dreamed of you last night," he murmurs, in a sappy voice that can only be a sign of the imprint.

"When do you _not_ dream of me?" I laugh, nudging him playfully away before tugging him back for an even deeper kiss. After several long minutes of making out, we break apart.

"Good morning," I purr.

Jake chuckles. "Good morning." We lean against each other as I start the engine, feeling each other's warmth. We are healthy and whole and alive and Jake is _mine_ and I am _his_ and that is all we will ever need to know.

I tell Jake about how the baby woke me, and how Claire will be visiting us this evening. "Wanna stop by?"

"Wouldn't miss it, Bells," he grins. The sunny expression dims slightly. "She's going to need help, more than any of us. She is still part of the Pack."

"So... an imprintee is still considered one of the Pack even if their wolf dies?" I ponder.

I feel Jake's hand dig into my shoulder possessively. "So the legends say." My wolf has always had a contentious relationship with the tribal legends and what they mean. I can feel his distress - likely fear that we will be so separated for eternity, the way Quil and Claire, Sam and Emily, have been - course through me and I burrow myself further into his heat.

We finally arrive on campus and I pull us into the lot. "Want me to wait for you?"

"Nah, I have Composition at 10:20. You can't sit the morning away; your dad needs you."

"I'll pick you up round 11:30, then," Jake flashes me a grin. Leaning in wordlessly, we share a lingering kiss. "See ya, Bells. I love you."

I beam. "I love you too." Climbing out, I let my boyfriend slide over to the driver's side and watch him drive off until the first warning chime of the clock tower summons me to class.


	2. Chapter 2: Bonfire Burning Love

**Chapter 2: Bonfire Burning Love**

Jake picks me up at 11:30, as promised. We more or less meander back to La Push, stopping at a McDonald's drive through for lunch. The pit stop forces Jake to circle wide and take the long way back. I haven't been near the outskirts of Forks since...

Rounding the next bend, I do not realize where we are until it is too late. There, passing on the left, is the imposing mansion I once spent so much of my time in. I feel a slight pang, but it is very weak. I hardly think of him that much anymore. Of Edward. It is hard to describe how it feels to have fallen out of love. Except to say that I feel... almost nothing.

Beside me, Jacob must read my thoughts, for he shifts and shoots me an apologetic smile; it actually comes across as more of a grimace. "Sorry, Bells. I should have remembered we would pass out this way."

The windows to the Cullen mansion are dark. Jasper and Alice are gone forever, fugitives from their brother's wrath after Alice kidnapped me and Jasper used the abduction as a window of opportunity to betray us. Abandon the wolves to their fate against the Volturi. Who knows when the others will be back, if at all. Edward vowed that he would track down Jasper and make him pay for his betrayal.

We finally arrive back on the Rez. I ask Jake to let me off at the Camerons' cottage, telling him I will meet him back at Emily's to see Claire and play with the little ones.

"Don't be long," Jacob kisses me goodbye. "There's a bonfire tonight. Paul ordered one."

"For the Pack?" I ask. I know that Jacob is still sore over Paul usurping his birthright to be Alpha, following Sam's death. It was an evolution of thinking - for the longest time, Jacob didn't want to be Alpha any more than he wanted us to be imprints. It got to the point where Sam almost begged Jacob to reclaim his destiny, seeing his potential. But when Jake was finally ready to step up after Sam's death... the role of Acting Alpha had defaulted to Paul. And Paul was not ready to give up power, even ordering Jacob not to phase. Jacob only agreed because he suspected that a lack of phasing might weaken the imprint.

"In a manner of speaking," Jacob replies. "Billy lent us the Council meeting house; we'll have it at the fire pit right in the center."

I nod, peck his lips one last time, then head inside Jared's house.

"Jared?"

"Bella!" Jared appears on the stairs leading up to his loft. "Kim's upstairs."

Smiling, I follow him. Jared and I have always gotten on well. His imprint, Kim, is shy but sweet. The girl herself now gives me a tiny, warm smile as she embraces me.

"How are you feeling?" I ask her gently.

"Which reminds me," Jared turns to his imprint. "Have you done your inhaler recently?"

In answer, Kim procures an inhaler from her pocket and breathes into it. Smiling, Jared kisses her forehead. "Good girl."

I have to glance away for a moment, feeling guilty. Seth Clearwater and I managed to rescue Kim from Jared's burning house, but barely, during the fires. The smoke inhalation she endured triggered a moderate form of asthma, and she has needed an inhaler ever since. Jared told me to stop feeling bad about it.

"You saved my girl's life, Bella. If the worst she experiences is an asthma attack, that's something I'll gladly take. Better that than her... dead. I can only imagine what Emily and little Claire are going through."

At the moment, Jared and Kim, and Jacob and myself, are the only intact imprint pairings left on the Rez. Although this has created a nice camaraderie between myself and Kim, as we sit on bean bag cushions, munching on Doritos while Kim gossips about high school drama (she's only 16), we all hope that won't be true for long. Brady Fuller and Collin Littlesea phased right after the fires, but before the remaining Cullens left town. For once, a new phasing was actually timely, as they could fill the spaces left by Sam and Quil. Both Brady and Collin are only 13, the youngest pack members in generations; it will be a while yet before they imprint. And then there's Embry Call...

When I leave for Emily's place to go play with baby Sarah and Claire, I take Kim with me. Claire is speaking fluently in full sentences now, and I listen enraptured as she explains to me the picture she has drawn. She says it's a snowman; it actually looks like a several white balls. Peach balls, actually - apparently, there was no white crayon.

But what really draws my attention is the way Jacob is with her. And with little Sarah. I can't help but beam as he places Claire on his feet and hoists her high in the air, balancing her on the edge of his toes. Claire spreads her arms like she is an airplane, shrieking in delight. All at once, like a bolt of lightning, it dawns on me how Jacob would make an excellent father.

"There's a bonfire tonight, little one. We'll have smores."

"We will?" I yelp happily. Jake takes one look at my face and laughs.

"You're as bad as the little ones!" Scooping Claire up, he tickles her. "Shall we head for the meeting house?"

Grinning, I loop my arm through his free one and we stroll across the reservation to the Council Meeting House. Jared meets us by the door, kissing Kim in greeting; we are clearly some of the last to arrive. Jacob passes Claire off to Kim, who holds her on her lap. Finding some space near the front, I lean my head on Jake's shoulder.

"What's that about?" I follow my wolf's gaze and smirk. On the bench across from us, Embry Call and Jessica Stanley are seated together, holding hands and their faces quite close. My high school friend must be home for the weekend from Cornell. Or maybe she is about to go back after winter break; I do recall her texting me about how her exams were later than mine.

"I have a feeling Embry imprinted on Jessica," I whisper conspiratorially to Jake. "He just hasn't announced it yet."

Jacob frowns. "The Pack likely knows." When all are in wolf form, every other person's thoughts, along with your own, are open to you. With eight current members, that can be exhausting.

Seth Clearwater boyishly lights the bonfire and Brady gleefully breaks into the bags of Hershey's. "Who wants a piece of chocolate?"

As we roast our marshmallows, Paul calls the Pack meeting to order. There is very little to report: no sightings of vampires since the Volturi were defeated and the Cullens left town. Patrol beats are scheduled for the coming week; I can sense that Jake feels left out.

It is well past dark by the time the social gathering ends. Kim cradles Claire from where the little girl long ago fell asleep in her lap, and follows Emily and a sleeping Sarah back for home to meet Matthew and Abbie. Jared follows his imprint, obviously as taken with how good she is with Claire as I was watching her play with Jake.

Jacob and I are the last out, left to clean up marshmallow dough from the floor and make sure the fire is out.

"I'll go push the benches to the side..." I am saying, walking towards the aisle, when suddenly I feel hands grip my hips and massage them. I sigh, leaning into the touch, almost unconsciously allowing the caresser to guide me up against the large, center pole in the middle of the meeting house. I feel Jacob's hands glide about my waist from behind. One giant palm reaches up to touch my breasts. A kiss dips into my neck and I sag deeper into him, sensing his erection strain against my buttocks. Jacob's other palm turns my face to his, capturing my lips in a deep kiss.

"What... what are you doing?" I gasp into his mouth.

"Do you like it when I touch you like this, Bella?" Jacob hisses with lust. He grinds his manliness against me, gives my pebbling nipple a firm tweak.

"Y-Yes... yes... ohhhhh, yes..." My breath is coming in rough pants. I have to wrap my arms around the center pole, otherwise I would go collapsing to the ground.

"What do you want me to do, Bella?" Jacob murmurs, sending a love bite into my shoulder. I moan loudly, piteously. Fearing someone might hear, I clap a palm over my mouth. Jacob grinds into my ass again, and I groan pathetically through my fingers.

"I... I... I..." I babble, thought becoming rapidly incoherent. Jacob continues to kiss along my face, my neck. My nails dig into the column. "I want to fuck me!" I spit.

Jacob's hand about my waist glides down to deftly unbutton my jeans. He pulls them down and I shimmy along with him to help. The movement causes my ass to wriggle temptingly against his center and I feel him sigh against me. My lace panties quickly follow, until my bare ass is exposed to the cool night air. The clang of a belt buckle, the rustle of another pair of jeans dropping to ankles. And then -

In one swift movement, Jacob takes me from behind. He slams himself passionately in between my ass cheeks. I yelp into my hand, and then moan after giving myself time to adjust. My eyelids flutter, my pupils rolling into the back of my head. "Mmmmhmmmmm... Jacob..."

The pleading in my voice spurs my wolf on to thrust. And thrust. And thrust. All the while, I cry out.

"Oh my god... Ohhhhhh my God... Ohh... Ohhhhh... YES, Jacob! Fuck me! Fuck me harder!"

Jacob obeys until he suddenly pulls out. Spinning me around and pushing me up against the column, he kisses me roughly. Growling happily, I kiss him back, biting down on his lower lip in my exuberance. Jacob swiftly enters me, slapping his sweaty hips into mine. Seizing me by my butt, he hoists me into the air so that I have to fold my legs about him, my back scraping into the column. Holding the kiss, I moan and groan lustily, shivering like a rabbit.

"Huhhhh... Uhhhh... Mmmmm... Hmmmmm... Uhhhh... Jacob... Jacob..." My cries become louder and louder. "Oh, Jacob... Jacob, I love you... Jacob, I can't stand it... Oh... Oh... OHHHHHHH!"

The final comes out in a wail as I orgasm so hard, I see stars. My thighs tremble, even as my leg muscles squeeze about his middle. My back arches against the column, and my slapping, groping hands dig into his rippling shoulder blades so hard, I am certain I draw blood.

Jacob only slams into me faster, leaving me only to writhe desperately against him. One last pound and with a roar - "MINE!" - Jacob cums hard deep within my walls. He collapses, staggers against me, bracing me against the column, and I feel him soften inside me.

Both of us drenched in sweat, Jacob pulls out like a gentleman, kisses me once softly, and we hurriedly redress, both pink in the face.

It was the best damn sex we've had in our lives, better than the first time we made love in my truck the night of my senior prom. Hand-in-hand, by the light of the moon, Jacob walks me back to Emily's, leaving me with a tantalizing make-out session at the door.

I go to bed with my lips tingling and the space between my legs sore but satiated.


	3. Chapter 3: Jealous Alpha

**Chapter 3: Jealous Alpha**

"Ssssh..." I whisper. The sound of smacking lips as Jake kisses me again, and I giggle. "Jake, seriously. We have to be quiet. The baby..."

"If she's anything like Emily, she'll sleep through a train wreck," Jacob growls. "And hey, maybe someday, we'll be referring to our own child."

I blush crimson and swivel my hips, adjusting myself as I straddle his waist. I sink down onto his member again, placing my hands on Jake's chest as I bounce up and down. We both groan at the impact. Between kisses and thrusts, Jacob pulls my pajama top over my head. I feel his warm, calloused palms cup me, squeeze the tender flesh of my boobs. Pretty soon, his mouth replaces his hands and I arch into him, my eyelids fluttering shut.

"Ohhhhh... Ummmmm... Oh God... Ooooh... Don't stop... JAKE!" I cum hard all around him. Gripping my hips, Jake rams up into me until he reaches completion himself. Utterly spent, I collapse across him, gasping. I can feel my wolf's panting tickle my ear. Feel a soft kiss against my earlobe. I swing off of him, reaching for a towel to dry off the space between my legs. Jacob rolls off the edge of my bed and slaps around for his pants.

"I gotta go, honey."

I whine and pull him into a hug, resting my head on his chest. "I can't believe you have an 8 AM class on Saturday."

"Hey, I don't make the rules. U-Dub does. Besides, I'd rather have class than run patrol."

I smile softly. "True." Standing on my tiptoes, I kiss his lips gently. "Have a good day," I murmur. "I'll see you when I get back."

He grins adorably. "Bye, Bells." Pulling him to me, he kisses me again soundly. I giggle against his mouth.

"Get outta here, Teen Wolf!" Jacob hops out my window. Left alone, I ponder over how proud I am of my boyfriend. It had taken some convincing on both my part and Billy's, but Jacob finally agreed to take his GED and then enroll in college. I hadn't exactly been pleased with him or the Pack when his patrol duties forced him to drop out of high school. But Jake insisted that it had all been worth it. That it had been for me. To protect me.

I find my hands absentmindedly caressing my abdomen and I smile. I have been running to the toilet to throw up for the past two weeks. I did well enough in Biology junior year to know what that means. The memory of that class makes me think ever so fleetingly of Edward and the day we met; the subsequent ache is dull enough so as to be nearly non-existent. I suspect that Emily knows, but she hasn't let on, or breathed a word to Jake around the house, which I appreciate. I actually smuggled out a pregnancy test from the Reservation supply store along with my groceries in a tiny act of shoplifting; I couldn't risk old Bidziil, the clerk, ringing it up and then running to Billy with gossip. I intend to take the test today, and if it shows positive (which I'm pretty sure it will), I will tell Jacob at dinner that he is going to be a father.

Locking myself in the bathroom as I hear the baby and Emily start to rouse, I pee on the stick and set the test on the window sill. Wait an agonizing five minutes, bouncing my leg against the rim of the toilet bowl. Finally, I dare to take a peek.

Positive! Two pink lines. Jake and I are having a little girl! The chances of our baby phasing has just been significantly reduced; Leah Clearwater is the only known female wolf of the Quileute going back generations. Yes, there is a slim chance that Baby Black will grow up to be a werewolf, but Jake will probably be too happy to debate with me about odds.

In a delirious daze, I shower and dress. On a whim, I decide to cross over the Rez to Billy's place and confide in him. The old man might not be thrilled that a baby is happening before a wedding, but Jake and I have discussed marriage before. If we have to bump a wedding up on the calendar, who cares? It doesn't have to have much fuss. And Billy gets to be a grandpa in the bargain. The title makes a pang go through me as I think of Charlie, and I haves to steel my nerves.

I call a goodbye to Emily and baby Sarah on the way out the door. Crunching along the gravel to my truck, I spy Paul - shirtless - coming out of the trees. He must have just finished his patrol. Though the new Alpha and I have never been on the best of terms, I smile and wave.

"Morning, Paul!"

His brow furrows at what he think must be a far too cheerful greeting for me, but he changes direction to approach me. "Morning, Bella," he grunts. His nostrils inhale deep and he winces. "You smell like wolf."

I learned a long time ago not to be insulted by this. Even so, I flush red. "Jake was here this morning. He's off to class."

"Yeah, I can smell that," but Paul continues to sniff. "But there's something else too..." His pupils slit, and if he doesn't know, he's about to figure it out. I had no idea that wolves could sense if an imprint is pregnant, but it wouldn't surprise me. I decide to spill the beans now and trust Paul to keep his mouth shut until after Jacob comes home.

"Jake and I are having a baby."

Silence. Paul is visibly shaking, the tremors taking over his body and eyes wide, I start to step back. It is never a good idea to be near a wolf when he or she phases - Emily can tell you that. Is Paul really that angry with us? Is he going to phase.

He doesn't phase. Something far worse happens instead.

It happens so fast I don't have any time to stop it. Paul suddenly yanks me into his arms and kisses me furiously on the mouth. I let out a squeal of protest and my eyes bulge even father than I thought possible. After a moment, I manage to wrench myself free of the kiss, despite Paul's strength.

WHAM! My fist goes flying as I sock him hard in the face. I can hear the bones crack and I am soon cradling my hand, tears pricking and burning at my eyes. I should know better by now that wolves are not affected by physical human violence like punches or kicks; indeed, Paul doesn't even flinch. I really should be more conscientious about avoiding injury to my hands, but I also know how to fight like a badass girl, especially when it comes to consent.

I am utterly speechless as I gape at Paul in disbelief. There is an expression in his eyes that I don't recognize, but not wanting to even begin to figure out what that means, I flee back into Emily's house.

* * *

My trip over to Billy's forgotten, I tell Emily immediately what happened over her feeding Sarah her breakfast. Right away, I suspect she knows something I don't, but I can't get it out of her. I am taken back to all the cryptic messages the Pack floated around me before I learned about the imprint. I quickly grew sick of it then, and I'm sick of it now. But Emily won't budge.

It feels like a true act of mercy when Jake finally returns from his class. Seeing me cradling my arm, the lingering effect of the imprint rushes him to my side.

"Bells, what happened?"

I smile sheepishly. "I broke my hand."

Knowing my penchant for breaking all the bones in my fingers, he laughs. "I can see that, honey. Now stop dancing around and let me look at it." He examines it almost forensically. "I'll take you over to the Rez doctor first thing in the morning. Our shaman can even help patch it up." He chuckles and kisses my hair. "Jesus, Bella, what did you do?"

"I punched Paul."

"Without me?" he chortles. "I would have loved to have seen that! First Sam and now Paul - you're socking all my pack mates! Not that I like the guy, but what did Paul ever do to you?"

"He kissed me," I say flatly.

Jacob freezes, mouth agape. When next he speaks, his voice comes out in a growl very much akin to... well, a wolf. "He _what_? _Why_?"

I blanch. "I told him I was pregnant, and he kissed me. I don't know why." And I don't know. Jealousy, perhaps? But that can't be it.

Jacob is now deathly still. Biting my lip, I reach for him, but he twists away. "Jake?"

"He's dead," Jacob says flatly. Prowling around the room, my wolf works himself up into more and more of a rage. "I _knew_ he was hiding something from me! I even saw a flash of a memory once, but I thought it was nothing! Wolves have been known to become envious of another wolf's imprint. But fall in love with them? You're mine, Bella - MINE! Paul knows that!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa - Paul in love with me? I didn't even think he _liked_ me!" I still don't think Paul likes me, but... where the Pack is concerned, stranger things have happened...

Jacob is now moving towards the door. I dither after him. "Jake, stop! The baby..."

But Jake is past all reason. Turning to me, he kisses me so fiercely, I nearly lose my breath. "We will talk about it later. I'm thrilled that you're carrying my kid, just so you know." He crushes his lips to mine one more time. "I love you, Bella." And he pelts out the door.

I really hope he doesn't phase. Paul expressly ordered him not to, and it is almost unheard of for a wolf to go against an Alpha's orders. But if Jacob really means to go after Paul, my wolf may not have much of a choice...


End file.
